She hesitated.
Only giving advice was something completely different than to teach someone a completely new form of magic.
I was not sure if she felt nervus because she did not know if she could do it, or because she did not know what I was going to do with it.
"It is fine if you don't want to. I am not forcing you to do anything."
"No-no, it is fine. I am sure that you would figure things like that out on your own eventually, so there is no use to prolong the inevitable."
A wide grin grew on my face.
"I agree. So, at least you are useful."
For a moment, both Elisa and Quetzalcoatl shivered. Yet I had not noticed even the slightest change in temperature.
She seemed a little more uncomfortable and scared than before. Like something around here was off.
This however seemed as much more of a motivator than a hindrance for her.
"I don't really know much about it. But I can teach you some sealing magic. This one only depends on understanding and not skill. So, it is easier to learn once you had a proper explanation."
"good. Then can you explain it to me?"
She took a step back and nodded.
"yes, I can."
I could not think of a scenario where I would need to make use of seals. But I figured that it was best to know it and never have to use it, than to need it and not having the option to use it.
"Okay, first you need to understand that sealing magic is the only magic that fully depends on magic formations. You can't cast it with will alone, nor will you be able to make use of it if you add an incantation. Also, not all things can be sealed. You can't just draw a formation on someone's arm to make the arm disappear. And you can't repair something by sealing the damages."
"then what are the things that can be sealed?"
My eyes followed her every motion as she took another step back.
"I- I guess that you can seal power ad other non-material things. Sorry the line that separates what can and can't be sealed is really abstract. I just don't really know."
"That is fine. Just show me what a sealing formation looks like."
She nodded and started to draw a circle on the floor with magic. In that circle she wrote a few symbols. Some aligned with those used in summoning, while others were completely unknown to me.
"this is a formation that you use when you wish to seal something." she pointed at a spot in the circle where there was no writing. "Here is where you write what you wish to seal. But you need to know its true name. that is what makes sealing difficult. You can use any language you want for that true name, but you first have to find it."
"And I guess that it is hard to find something's true name?"
"Yes. I have no idea how to find it. I only saw my mother using sealing magic a few times. So that is how I know about it."
I narrowed my eyes and literally stared deep into her soul. I found it rather weird that she would willingly bring up her mother when she was so traumatised by her.
She took another two steps back while she stared back at me.
"I think I should go."
"sure. I believe that it is getting quite late. Maybe you can give me explanations on magic, more often."
She nodded and quickly walked out of the room.
I turned to Quetzalcoatl who was still sitting in the corner. I walked up to it and picked it up. While I did that Quetzalcoatl did not even blink. It was like the bird was paralysed, yet its heartbeat was incredibly fast.
"Ow, com on little bird. I am not that scary, am I?"
Of course, the bird did not respond.
"There is no need for you to be this scared. You belong to me now, and for as long as you are in my possession, I will not let anything happen to you."
I carried the bird to the room with the stone chair and placed beside me. I actually expected the bird to climb of it and try to hide again. but it was like the bird was made out of stone.
I sighed and carefully stroke its green feathers. It shivered to my touch, but it was still too scared to move.
I leaned back and tried to ignore the headache that I had at the moment. I had not really noticed that it started up until this point where it had become incredibly hard to ignore.
I found it rather weird that I was suffering from a headache at this point. I had recently slept, and I could not recall a point where I had been sick ever since I had become a demon.
I sighed and hoped that the pain would fade away soon, or I would have to ask the dwarf if he knew what was going on.
But this all made me realise that people were useful. I always kept them around to try and keep my sanity in check. But now I saw that the short lifespan of a human, dwarf or elf did not hinder their knowledge. They were able to pass it on. Their numbers made it easier for ideas to evolve and their death served as an example for others that they were going the wrong way.
In a world where knowledge, the knowledge to cast magic, the knowledge to heal, the knowledge to make bonds, the knowledge to survive, meant power. then maybe I should keep a little more people for that knowledge.
In the end, it made them useful. It gave them meaning. And wasn't that all what people seek? Meaning?
Isn't that why they prey to their gods? To give their actions meaning, to hear from a higher power that what they did mattered?
If that is the case, then it is simply their nature to fall into the open hands of these higher beings. And who am I to keep mine closed.